Blackout (Angie Thomas) Books in Order

The Blackout books are companion novels, not a single-couple series. Each book brings together several love stories written by a team of authors, including Angie Thomas, and sets them loose inside one big citywide disruption. In Blackout, the trigger is a summer power outage in New York City. In Whiteout, it is a rare Atlanta snowstorm just before Christmas. The shared idea is simple and fun. When the city stops working the way it should, people have to move differently, improvise, and tell the truth faster than they planned.

Weather does a lot of the plotting here.

Blackout unfolds over one hot night in New York, with trains stalled, blocks dark, rooftop air suddenly valuable, and chance meetings everywhere. The book bounces between first connections, old feelings, messy timing, and missed turns that become lucky breaks. Because the stories interlock, the city feels crowded in the best way. Characters cross paths, help one another, and sometimes become the person another character needed that night. It reads less like one straight line and more like a web that keeps lighting up from different corners.

Whiteout keeps the shared-cast spirit but changes the energy. Snow slows everything down, strands people, and turns the plot into a mission. A group of teens is trying to help a friend make a major apology land before it is too late, so romance has to share the stage with friendship and teamwork. The result is a little cozier and a little more communal. Instead of a sweltering city full of restless motion, you get a rare Southern winter and the warm mess of people showing up for each other.

These books care as much about friendship as they do about kissing.

That balance is what makes the pair work. The stakes are personal, not world-ending. Who should I call back? Did I mess this up for good? Can I trust this feeling? Can I be honest before the night runs out? The books make room for Black teen love, queer love, awkward timing, jokes, nerves, and the small acts of kindness that change a night. If you are wondering about order, start with Blackout and then read Whiteout. They share a format and a collaborative spirit more than one ongoing plot, so think of them as sister books that use city chaos to make room for connection.